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A rare and talented artist in 17th-century Bologna, Elisabetta Sirani achieved international fame during her lifetime, while her sudden and mysterious death at just twenty-seven only added to her renown in her native city. Painted a year before she died, this dynamic and colourful composition of Venus and Cupid is a splendid example of the artist's later work. The elegant and sumptuous Venus looks out at the viewer, her right hand gesturing toward the playful cupid, who has shot two arrows at the tree in the background. The undulating figures and bright, warm colours are typical of the artist's late work.
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